Like Lightning
by Dusa Wilde
Summary: Romance and drama in the XMansion. Who will end up with who, and why did Lance cheat on Kitty? Pairings: Evan & Pietro, Kitty & Todd, Rogue & ?, Lance and a certain someone...
1. The Solution

Author's Note: Hey guys . . . I wrote this story about 4 years ago, when I was basically 13. Now I'm 17, and my writing's improved (not to mention I have more experiences to base my stories on). So, I've decided to not only continue this story but completely rework it (I'll stick to the same exact plot but hopefully expand upon it a little bit). So, expect longer chapters and better writing! I'm sorry it took me 2 years to stop being lazy :P

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution characters. Sorry for using 'em . . .

Chapter 1

Rogue lay on her bed, listening to her Linkin Park CD. She loved how the lyrics fit her life perfectly, capturing all the confusion and angst that consumed her. As the CD ended, Rogue started to drift off to sleep. However, she soon heard a rustling noise outside her window and she carefully removed her headphones and squinted at the swaying curtains. Sure enough, someone was haphazardly climbing the tree outside her window. Rogue stealthily crept to the window pane and came face to face with Pietro. The pale-haired boy was balanced precariously between the tree and the side of the Mansion, his face turning red with the effort.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue laughed, masking her surprise.

"Oh nothing, just thought I'd pay you a little visit," Pietro answered, grinning, "Wanna open that window before I fall to my death?"

Rogue sighed playfully, a smirk forming on her lips, "And why should I? I was just about to fall asleep and you rudely woke me up."

Pietro grimaced as his hand started to slip, and Rogue quickly unlocked the latch and shoved open the window. She grabbed his arm and tugged him into her room. Immediately Pietro ran around her three times before ending up on her bed, quick as lightning. Grinning slightly he joked, "I'm pretty nimble, as long as my feet are touching solid ground."

"I can see that," Rogue replied with a touch of sarcasm, "So what do you want to do? We can't stay in this room all night . . . I'm not _that_ kind of a girl."

"Well I was thinking you and I could take a stroll in a park, or catch a late night flick, or eat something . . ."

"Oh be quiet, you, and climb back down that tree," Rogue commanded with a smile.

Pietro just grinned and scampered out the window and down the tree, Rogue following.

After spending several hours just wandering around town with Pietro, Rogue snuck back into the Mansion, thinking about how much she wished she could touch him. It wasn't fair that her mutant abilities prevented her from experiencing everything that "normal" teenagers took for granted.

After a fitful sleep, Rogue dragged herself from bed only to have Jean enter her thoughts, "Professor X wants to see you."

Rogue hated when Jean did that. Couldn't she just speak like a regular person? She laughed to herself. Jean and the other mutants were anything but normal...

Rogue knocked hesitantly on the Professor's door and entered. Professor Xavier smiled and greeted her.

"Hi Prof, what did you want to tell me?"

"Well Rogue, I have great news. Hank and I have been working on a solution to your problem with touching other people. We think there is a way we can control your powers so you can interact with others and not harm them."

Rogue was speechless as Professor Xavier smiled knowingly.

"I know this may come to you as a shock, Rogue, but you are not the first mutant who needed help with their abilities. Take Kurt for example, he needed a special device to make him appear more human, and not furry and blue."

Rogue frowned slightly, mulling over everything the Professor had said. She was reluctant to readily believe there could be a solution to her problem and quite afraid to get her hopes up only to be disappointed. However she eventually smiled at the Professor and thanked him for trying to help her.

Professor Xavier explained that Hank had developed a potion that would help her to control her powers. For the solution to take effect, she had to take it consistently for two weeks, and then once every month after that. Rogue thanked the Professor again and rushed out of the room to tell the other X-Men about the possible solution.

"Hey I heard about the potion. That's so great!" Kurt said to her an hour later while passing Rogue in the hall. Having told nearly everyone in the Mansion, Rogue went to the garage, and hopped into one of the cars. She drove over to the Brotherhood's place, more excited as the news truly sunk in. When she rang the doorbell, Lance answered.

"Whadda you want?" he asked.

"Uh, I would like to speak with Pietro," Rogue replied nervously.

"Ok...whatever."

Lance stomped back into the house, yelling Pietro's name loudly. Rogue ascended the dilapidated steps and entered the broken-down house. Pietro immediately zoomed over to her side.

"Hey, couldn't stay away, huh?" Pietro smirked.

"Sorry Pietro, you're not that charming. I just wanted to tell you some great news! Professor X said that with the help of this new medicine that's been developed, I can touch people without hurting 'em!"

"So I can tickle you all I want and won't get knocked out or anything?" Pietro exclaimed.

"If you try to tickle me, potion or not, you are so going down Pietro," Rogue retorted, "But hey, I'm gonna go, Kitty wants to go shopping with me today."

"Alright Rogue . . . I'll see you later," Pietro replied.

Rogue waved goodbye as she left the Brotherhood's house, not sensing Pietro watching her disappear around the block.

--- End of Chapter 1

So what do you guys think? Please review and I should have more edited chapters up soon!

Dusa


	2. Magical Potions and Movie Theaters

Author's Note: Again, this has been edited and reposted. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own these characters.

Chapter 2: Magic Potions and Movie Theaters

While Rogue was at the Brotherhood's place, Kurt walked into Hank's lab, where he was busy measuring some odd-colored liquids.

"So Hank, Rogue just has to take some medicine? And that's it?" Kurt asked. Hank smiled at Kurt, who was notoriously protective of Rogue and considered her his sister.

"Well, actually, the potion really just helps control her powers more easily, for an extended amount of time. However, everyday after school, Xavier will have her do some exercises that will extend the amount of time she can control her powers. After a few months, she will have the capacity to with hold her abilities for a long stretch of time," answered Hank.

"So she'll never be completely cured?" Kurt asked anxiously.

"Well, as far as I know, no mutant has been completely rid of his or her powers," Hank mused, "but Rogue certainly needs more help than others with that ability of hers."

Kurt nodded at Hank and left him to continue concocting Rogue's special potion.

When Rogue re-entered the X Mansion, Professor X was waiting for her. He motioned for her to follow him and went to the training room, Rogue trailing behind him.  
When they got to the enormous metal room that the X-men trained in, Professor X had Hank demonstrate to Rogue some of the exercises she would be doing. Some were easy, like breathing in and out deeply, but some were strange, like focusing her energy and touching plants to see if they would shrivel and die. Rogue didn't know how these exercises would help her. She had sort of hoped that the potion would be all she needed.

"At least it's only for 45 minutes a day...and it is worth it...definitely worth it," she muttered to herself.

Rogue finished her exercises for the day, and went back to her room to get ready to go shopping with Kitty.

"Will I ever be able to touch people?" she wondered to herself. She felt like she wasn't making any progress by doing such random exercises. Rogue quickly reapplied her makeup and put on a black miniskirt and gray top. Looking at her reflection, Rogue daydreamed about having someone to touch, someone to hold her. She could have remained that way all day if Kitty hadn't run into her room and forcefully dragged her to the mall.

--- The next afternoon ---

Pietro ran all over the house - if you could call it a house. The floors were filthy and the walls had tattered wallpaper hanging down in big strips. He was extremely bored, and wanted to hang out with someone badly. So when he heard a knock at the door, he was the first one to answer it. He wasn't surprised to see Rogue standing on the crumbling doorstep.

"Hey Pietro," the gothic girl said rather cheerfully.

"Hey...you as bored as I am?"

Rogue laughed, "I guess so."

"Wanna go see a movie?" Pietro asked. He noticed she was wearing gloves, and wondered when this new "magical potion" would take effect.

"Sure, why not," Rogue replied, "How about Spiderman, I heard it was good."

"Sounds good to me, Pale Face!" Pietro said as he sped over to the car. Rogue blushed angrily through her face makeup and followed him down the steps. They got into the Brotherhood's jeep, and sped off to the movie theater, only after Rogue properly took revenge for Pietro's comment.

Once they arrived at the theater, they bought some tickets to Spiderman. Rogue purchased a regular popcorn, a large Pepsi for Pietro, and a medium pink lemonade for herself. They chose some seats to the far right corner of the theater and settled in. However, Rogue found the theater seats to be uncomfortable after only 10 seconds of sitting in one of them. Pietro, on the other hand, seemed to like the seats and he put his arm around her shoulder, glad Rogue was wearing a long-sleeve shirt. Their hands brushed slightly as they reached into the bag of popcorn, but Rogue was wearing gloves, and the only electricity was static.

The movie started, and Rogue admired how the opening credits looked like a spiderweb. But soon enough, she found her attention drawn elsewhere. She was busy admiring Pietro's profile when she heard a big crash behind her. She grimaced as she saw Todd and Freddy, loaded with food and drinks, entering the theater.

"Yo, whatcha doin' here?" Todd said, rather loudly. A bunch of people angrily told him to be quiet but he didn't seem to hear. Looking annoyed, Pietro whispered, "We are watchin' a movie...could you guys find somewhere else to sit?"

"Well whatever, we know when we ain't wanted. C'mon Freddy," Todd said, as Rogue breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to be with Pietro - alone.

After the movie finished, Rogue and Pietro strolled out of the theater.

"Sorry 'bout Todd and Freddy," Pietro said after a moment.

"It's ok...I am just glad they went to a different part of the theater," Rogue replied, smiling.

They got back into the jeep and Pietro drove her home. As she walked up to the X Mansion, Pietro watched from the automobile. Assured that she was safe, he smiled, and drove off.

--- End of Chapter 2

Hope you guys liked it . . . this also had some major editing . . . luckily the rest of the chapters are pretty fine as is, so I'll have them up in no time. Please review and tell me what you think! - Dusa


	3. Trouble in Paradise

Author's Note: Here is the third chapter, edited and posted :) Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own X Men: Evolution. I promise!

Chapter 3

Rogue glanced back at Pietro's jeep and then entered the X Mansion. She went up to Kitty's room to talk to her, only to find a very despondent Kitty staring glumly out the window.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked, slightly concerned. Kitty was usually cheerful and vivacious, and Rogue melancholy and sarcastic. Apparently, today their roles were reversed.

Kitty sighed softly, "I like, dunno...it's just that...well...I like, am having trouble with Lance."

"What do ya mean . . . trouble?" Rogue asked, concerned. Lance and Kitty had always been the perfect couple, and Rogue could not imagine anything going wrong.

"Well, like, I don't know how to get him to pay attention to me...I think he's seeing someone else!" Kitty exclaimed with a burst of tears. Rogue quickly put her arms around Kitty, careful not to let her hands touch Kitty's delicate skin.

"It's ok, I know Lance loves you so much! But if you want, I could have Pietro follow him around. You know, just to see if he is seeing someone else," Rogue said, trying to comfort her friend.

"You're probably right, Rogue . . . Lance does care for me. Oh, but I feel so horrible for thinking this about Lance but I need to know if he's cheating on me. Please have Pietro follow him . . ."

"Sure Kitty, whatever you want. And hey, don't worry! Everyone is jealous once in a while," Rogue replied. As she held her friend tightly, Rogue's thoughts wandered to a certain pale-haired boy.

---- An hour later ----

"You want me to what!" Pietro exclaimed when Rogue asked him to follow his good friend for a day.

"Please! Kitty thinks he might be seein' someone else," Rogue pleaded.

When Pietro saw how desperate she was to help Kitty, he couldn't help but agree to do it. However, he felt like he was breaking a "code of trust" between friends. He sighed, "Fine I'll follow him around . . . but only for one day."

Rogue immediately hugged him, blushing all the while. That's when Pietro realized her makeup was gone. He smirked, but he didn't say anything - for once. Rogue thanked Pietro and left the Brotherhood's place. When she entered the X Mansion Rogue noticed Jean out of the corner of her eye. She looked kind of mad, but Rogue didn't think anything of it.

---- Early the next morning ---

Pietro's alarm rang. Early rays of sunlight lighted up his room, which was probably the neatest part of the house. It was dawn, and the others wouldn't be awake for another few hours. Everyone, that is, but Lance. He often got up early but Pietro had never bothered to wake up early enough to find out what he did then.

Pietro sped down the rickety stairs, careful not to let his presence be known. Lance was in the garage, working on his Jeep. Pietro was vastly relieved to know that his friend wasn't cheating on Kitty . . . at least not at the moment.

Quietly whistling to himself, he ran back up the stairs and started to take a shower. As he waited for the water to warm up he contemplated his relationship with Rogue. Did he even want to be in a relationship with her? He wasn't even sure. He cared for her, of course, but all of the Brotherhood members did. She was like a sister to them. And now he was wondering if he wanted to be involved in a relationship where he couldn't even touch her. Imagine not being able to touch your girlfriend! He knew that she was in the process of overcoming her inability to touch but he was having mixed feelings about . . . well . . . his feelings.

He stepped into the shower. What was with him and X-Geeks, he mused. While he was having this heart to heart with himself, he might as well be honest. He found himself being attracted to a certain _male_ of African-American descent. If he was unsure about his feelings for Rogue, he was utterly confused by Evan. Weren't you supposed to like one gender at a time? Not that he really cared; he was already a mutant, why not bisexual?

He turned the hot water knob to the right and the relaxing spray of water stopped abruptly. He shivered as a rush of cold air passed over his body as he stepped out of the bathtub. He had just barely draped a towel around himself when Todd inadvertently banged into the room.

"Eh . . . yo man I'm sorry yo, I wasn't meanin' to like barge in like that, man . . . "

"It's ok Todd," Pietro muttered gruffly. His mind was somewhere else at the moment.

He stalked to his room, nodding a hello at Fred on the way. He randomly picked out an outfit, a rich, chocolate brown sweater and tan slacks. He was almost excited about going to school, though he wasn't looking forward to following Lance around.

--- Later, at school ---

Pietro grabbed his History book and slammed his locker shut.

"Well, you sound like you're in a bad mood today," Rogue drawled sweetly.

"Jeez, why did you hafta sneak up on me like that?" Pietro said, a bit jumpy.

"No reason . . . anyway where are you in a rush to?"

"History class, why?" Pietro replied.

"Well I've never known ya to be so studious, is all --" Rogue said, before being interrupted by an uncharacteristically anxious Pietro.

"Oops,lookatthetimegottarun!" The bell had rung and Pietro didn't want to be late.

Evan was in Pietro's History class. Pietro felt kind of silly, because for a few days he'd been focused on Rogue and all of the sudden he couldn't get Evan out of his head.

"Darn hormones . . ." he muttered to himself.

He sneaked a quick glance at Evan. The two boys made brief eye contact, but both immediately turned around upon realizing this. He wished that the eye contact meant something, but knowing his luck it was just a coincidence. He watched bitterly as a pretty girl engaged Evan in a seemingly interesting conversation.

Their History teacher chose this moment to burst into the classroom. He bustled about dropping papers and knocking things over. This clumsiness caused many of his students to make fun of him and he never quite got the class' undivided attention. Nor did he seem to mind. This of course meant a free study period nine times out of ten unless, by some miracle, Mr. Cabot actually had something planned for the day. On this occasion, he unfortunately had a lesson prepared. 

"Class . . . Class! Could I please have your attention! Today we will be working in groups, as I have prepared a worksheet about The Civil War," Mr. Cabot said in his usual monotonous voice, "The groups are as follows: Jennifer, you work with Mark. Evan, you work with Pietro . . . "

As Mr. Cabot droned on, Pietro stole a glance at Evan. His luck appeared to be changing for the better.

--- Meanwhile . . . ---

Rogue watched Pietro run off to History class. She didn't understand what was going on with him today. He had never been concerned with getting to class on time before, and it unsettled her greatly. Not to mention, just when she thought they were getting closer, he suddenly seemed to lose interest.

"It's probably just my imagination . . ." she thought to herself.

She made her way to her Biology class. She lingered in the hallway, reluctant to go to class just yet. As she turned a corner, a couple making out against the lockers caught her attention.

It was Lance . . . and someone who was definitely _not_ Kitty!

--- End of Chapter 3

Again, please review! Next chapters will probably be up today. Sorry about the cliffhanger, hehe - Dusa


	4. Fights, Shopping, and History Projects

Author's Note: So this editing job is pretty easy, and I think I will have all the previous chapters online by tonight. Be prepared for some foul language this chapter, but can you really blame Rogue? Read, and you'll see :) I really should be working on my college apps, but this is far more enjoyable . . .

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.

Chapter 4

Rogue was floored. Utterly and completely shocked.

Lance.

Was.

Kissing.

Jean.

Perfect-I-Love- Duncan-and-I-am-in-denial-about-Scott Jean. The Jean that had perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect everything. Miss Goody-Two Shoes herself. Kissing Lance Alvers, self-proclaimed hoodlum.

Once Rogue got over the fact that Jean was letting Lance even touch her, let alone kiss her, Rogue's instincts kicked in. She stormed over to the unsuspecting pair with a look of fury that even Magneto would be afraid of.

"What the HELL is going on! Lance fucking Alvers you BETTER NOT be KISSING someone who ISN'T named KITTY!" Rogue bellowed, "And YOU, Miss Snot-face of the Century, YOU ARE NOT KISSING Kitty's FUCKING boyfriend!"

Lance paled a bit and seemed a little scared, but Jean's pretty face contorted into a condescending sneer.

"What business is it of yours?" Jean said smugly.

Rogue couldn't stand how Jean was acting like it was no big deal. Like it didn't matter that Kitty would be devastatingly hurt. She cringed inwardly - what would happen when Kitty found out? Rogue cared for Kitty; she was a good friend and Rogue didn't want to see her experience any kind of pain.

"What business is it of mine? _What business is it of mine_? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT BUSINESS IT IS OF MINE!"

Rogue lunged at Jean and started hitting her; she was furious. Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice was crying, "What are you doing! You're gonna get in deep shit!" but she pushed the thought aside.

It took a few moments before Lance fully realized what Rogue was doing. He roughly ripped the two girls apart. Jean immediately lifted her tanned arms and rearranged her tussled red hair. Rogue clawed viciously at Lance, who was restraining her. She attempted to remove her glove, wanting to give Lance a little zap of her powers, enough to escape his grasp without absorbing his mutant abilities.

Lance shoved her away from him, "Don't even think about it, Rogue," he said, reading her mind.

"Look Lance . . . I simply must be going to class . . . I'll see you later," Jean said sweetly, a innocent look upon her face, "Oh yeah, and Rogue? Don't you ever touch me again - or else!"

"Or else what, sugah? Don't give me that crap . . . by this time tomorrow the rest of the X-men will be hating your guts . . . and I doubt they'll allow you to hurt me, or anyone else for that matter. You see, the X-men are loyal to one another. Well, true X-men are," and with that, Rogue bitterly headed to class.

--- Meanwhile in History class . . . ---

Pietro gathered his books and moved to a desk near Evan's. He gazed down at the sheet that Mr. Cabot had passed out. It read:

"Choose a battle in the Civil War. Research this battle and create an informative posterboard on it. Be prepared to present this project in front of the class."

The paper continued to give some more guidelines and how the project would be graded. Pietro skimmed the rest and then looked up to a pair of honey brown eyes starring intensely into his own.

"So . . . what battle you wanna do?" Evan asked.

"I can think of someone I'd like to do, and he isn't a battle . . ." Pietro thought to himself and blushed at his not-so-innocent thoughts.

"Well?" inquired the browned-skinned young man.

"Um, well let's do a lesser known battle. I'm up for a challenge," Pietro answered after a moment's thought.

"Okay, any particular battle come to mind?"

Pietro racked his brain for a "lesser known battle" but concluded that if he knew of it, it probably wasn't "lesser known." Evan seemed to have read his mind because he suggested that they do some research and find a battle that neither knew much about.

"How about we meet at the library sometime this afternoon?" Evan proposed, smiling slightly. Pietro, jumping at the chance to spend some time with Evan, agreed. He couldn't wait.

--- Meanwhile, in a different classroom ---

Kitty twisted a strand of hair in her fingers, trying to take notes with her other hand. Her thoughts kept traveling to Lance. She wondered if Rogue had found out anything yet. She hoped that she was just imagining things; she cared for Lance deeply and didn't want to lose him. The bell rang, and Kitty slammed her notebook shut and slipped it into her bag. She quickly put her pens in the outside pocket of her backpack and left the classroom. After stopping at her locker briefly she made her way to lunch.

The cafeteria was very messy and chaotic, and Kitty disliked it immensely. In fact the only reason she liked lunch was because she could spend time with Lance. She went to her customary table and dumped her bag and books. Then she grabbed her purse and went to buy some lunch. When she came back, Lance still hadn't arrived.

"Great . . . looks like I'll be eating lunch by myself," Kitty sighed to herself.

Kitty had recently told the other X-men that she wanted to spend lunch alone with Lance so she could have more quality time with him. She wished she hadn't asked that her fellow X-Men find other places to eat, because otherwise they would have been here with her now. She felt slightly miserable. Her boyfriend might be cheating on her and here she was, all alone at a dirty lunch table. She felt suddenly self-conscious; everyone seemed to be staring at her and thinking what a loser she was for sitting alone.

Fortunately -- or maybe unfortunately -- another person, Todd, soon joined Kitty.

"Hey whatcha doin' all alone? Where's your lil' Lancie-poo?" Todd asked.

"I dunno, and why are you, like, here?" Kitty answered, slightly apprehensive.

"No reason honey, jus' felt like it," Todd grinned as he sat down abruptly. He saw Kitty's lunch and helped himself to part of her sandwich.

"Hey! That's mine!" Kitty exclaimed angrily.

"Not anymore . . . man I gotta eat something. You think it's easy hopping around this school on an empty stomach?"

"Well, can't you get your own lunch?" Kitty asked, sighly.

"Man, you seen our house? You think I got spare cash?" Todd asked, laughing.

Kitty sighed again and resumed eating. She didn't really mind Todd's presence that much and preferred it to being alone. If he would only get some perfume or something, he would make a good friend. Kitty suddenly had an idea. Why not take Todd shopping, and get him something to get rid of that annoying smell of his. Shopping always made her feel better and it would definitely benefit Todd.

"Todd we are, like, going shopping today, okay? Meet me at my locker after school."

"What? Are you like crazy, yo? Well, alright. But man, was that slightly off-topic, unexpected, surprising, scary . . ."

"Okay like stop, Todd," Kitty said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay," Todd replied, smiling at her.

For the first time in a while, Kitty actually felt happy.

--- Meanwhile, at lunch table far, far away . . . ---

Lance anxiously glanced around, trying to see where Kitty was sitting. He didn't want to sit with her - he wasn't sure whether she knew about Jean yet and he didn't want her to make a scene. He and Jean were sitting in a table in far corner of the cafeteria, so that Kitty couldn't see them.

"So Lance, what do you want to do today?" Jean asked, smiling.

"I dunno. What do you wanna do, babe?" he replied.

"How about we . . . go shopping!"

"If that's what you wanna do, then it's O.K by me," Lance replied.

Jean got up and went to get some food for them. Lance watched her go and then started doodling on his chemistry book. He couldn't wait until school was over; it was boring and he wanted to hang at the mall.

Little did Lance know that at another table, his former girlfriend and a toad were both looking forward to the same thing.

--- End of Chapter 4

Hope you liked it. :-D – Dusa


	5. An Eventful Day

Author's Note: Here is Chapter 5! Only about one more edited chapter to go before I start writing new ones. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters.

Chapter 5

Pietro stood in front of the Bayville library. He gazed up at its brick walls and felt almost anxious. He was meeting Evan here in exactly two minutes unless, of course, Evan was late. He had butterflies in his stomach even though he knew they would just be looking for some boring, obscure Civil War battle in a dusty book. Yet he still felt nervous. Would he somehow make a fool of himself? He'd probably knock over a bookshelf or something. He took a deep breath and pushed so hard on the door that it slammed open.

Everyone in the entrance of the library immediately looked up.

"Well I don't have to worry about embarrassing myself anymore," thought Pietro wryly. His eyes met Evan's.

"Great, he saw me slam open the door like I'm a freak or something," Pietro thought. He went over to Evan, who was leaning against a wall looking very cool.

"Hey, you actually came! You care about school after all!" joked Evan, feigning disbelief.

"Yeah well, you're lucky I showed up. Otherwise you'd be doing this project all alone." Pietro retorted nonchalantly. Evan's comment slightly hurt, even if he _was _joking.

"At any rate, I'm glad you came -- I mean I'm glad I don't have to do everything myself." Evan looked down at his feet briefly, and Pietro wondered if he was blushing.

"Well let's get started," Pietro said, slightly amused. In his mind he was screaming, "Maybe Evan does like me!"

They went over to a reference computer and looked up relevant Civil War books. After compiling a rather formidable stack of books, they collapsed into a quite comfortable couch in the non-fiction section.

"This is going to take us forever . . ." muttered Pietro.

"Well . . . we don't have to actually have a battle selected until next Monday so why don't we get together again to spread out the work load," Evan suggested.

"You mean . . . like a date? Why Evan darling, I thought you'd never ask!" Pietro teased. Blushing deeply, Evan muttered, "You know I didn't mean it like that . . ."

Pietro said playfully, "Well you know you want to."

Evan's response was an even deeper shade of red on his smooth-skinned face. They started looking through the books, but they weren't having much luck. Pietro realized he'd been reading the same page over and over. Or rather pretending to read, while sneaking glances at Evan. He groaned slightly, "I don't know about you but I'm not getting anything accomplished."

"I know what you mean . . . let's take these out and head home or something," Evan replied.

"Okay, I'll take this half," Pietro conceded. After they took the books out and put them into their backpacks, the two young men left the quiet library.

"Freedom!" shouted Pietro loudly while Evan cracked up at the other boy's antics. Pietro felt like they were friends rather than supposed enemies. He noticed some people looking at them strangely and slung his arm around Evan's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Evan whispered.

"Giving them a show I guess . . ." Pietro replied, "Follow my lead okay?"

He slowed down and looked into Evan's eyes. Their lips were mere inches apart. He leaned in, smelling the wonderful scent that was Evan and they kissed. It was tentative at first but Evan surprisingly deepened it. Pietro put his arms around Evan's neck passionately. They reluctantly parted for a breath of air, totally forgetting about the people watching them.

"Wow," gasped Evan.

"I know," Pietro agreed, "Can we do that again?"

--- Meanwhile, at the mall . . . (yeah, I'm evil) ---

Kitty had to practically drag Todd to the mall.

"I hate shoppin'! It's such a girl thing, yo . . ." Todd complained for the millionth time.

"Look you agreed you'd go shopping with me and that's, like, final!" Kitty chirped happily.

Todd shook his head, "Man you are too hyper. You been sneakin' Pixi Stix or something?"

Kitty just giggled and Todd rolled his eyes, "Girls . . ."

They went into the mall, and Kitty immediately saw a shop that was perfect. It had rows upon rows of perfume bottles, scented soap, and other good-smelling things. Todd groaned, "Look if you hafta get me somethin' please make it, I dunno, manly or somethin'. None of that sissy stuff."

"Alright, alright!" Kitty exclaimed as she zeroed in on a promising bottle. Todd ran after her feeling slightly nauseous from all the fumes.

After what seemed like hours of smelling different scents and applying different perfumes, Kitty found the perfect bottle. It was called, ironically, "Eau de Crapaud" (Water of Toad). Why anyone would call it that was a mystery because it sounded an awful lot like "crap." However, it actually smelled good. Kitty persuaded Todd to buy several boxes of it, including the shampoo and conditioner.

"Now on to more fun things!" Kitty said, as they left the shop.

"Dare I ask?" Todd muttered.

"Clothes!" Kitty shouted. Todd laughed silently, but as much as he disliked shopping, he had to admit he was enjoying himself. He wished Kitty wasn't dating Lance, because it would fun to be with her more often. He was playfully thinking of ways to break them up as he bumped into someone.

Both he and Kitty exclaimed at the same time, "Lance!"

Kitty was surprised. What was Lance doing at the mall without her? And why was he with Jean?

"Um, hey you guys. Lance, what are you doing here?" Kitty asked quietly, afraid of his answer.

Lance looked almost sad and was about to reply when Jean butted in, "Look you stupid 'valley girl' why don't you go run along with your little friends? Lance and I are dating now and he is through with you."

Kitty froze at Jean's blunt words. She couldn't think of one thing to say. Stifling a sob, she abruptly turned around and ran off as fast as she could.

Todd walked menacingly forward. Even though he had slightly wanted Lance and Kitty to break up, he didn't want Kitty to be hurt.

"What the heck is wrong with you, man? Don't you even know what you had? Kitty is beautiful and smart and funny and absolutely adorable! You know how much I envied you, man? I can't believe you'd do this to her. I'm sorry to say it man, but you ain't my friend no more. My friends don't cheat on their girlfriends and hurt others like you just did."

Not waiting for a reply, and not wanting one, he followed Kitty, so he could comfort her. He found her outside sitting on a bench crying her heart out. He sat down next to her and hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's ok Kit," Todd said, unconsciously inventing a nickname for her, "you were too good for him anyway."

Kitty laughed through her tears, "You really think so?"

"I know so," Todd said looking at her adoringly. He wanted so much to hug her and kiss her but he didn't want to take advantage of Kitty while she was so vulnerable. If wouldn't fair to her and he wouldn't feel right about it.

"Look, let's take you home, alright?"

"Ok Todd . . ." Kitty consented wearily. He helped her up and they walked silently to the X-Mansion.

"Want me to come in with you Kit?" Todd asked quietly when they arrived.

"Please. I d-don't know if I'll be able to tell anyone what happened p-properly," Kitty said as her voice wavered precariously, "I - I'll probably s-start crying again."

He reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"You'll get over him, I know it."

Kitty smiled at his words, "I hope so."

They entered the X-Mansion. Rogue immediately ran over to them, noticing Kitty's tear-stained face.

"I've been looking all over for you! But it looks like someone else got to you before I could tell you . . ." Rogue said, worriedly biting her lip.

Kitty burst into tears again and launched herself into Rogue's arms.

"He cheated on me! I'm pathetic! I can't even keep a guy faithful to me!" she sobbed.

"Shh, no you're not sugah. Lance is just a bastard and you're an angel who was way too good for him," Rogue said comfortingly. She realized with a shock that she was touching Kitty's skin and she wasn't harming her, but she didn't think it was the time to share this revelation.

Todd looked around uncomfortably, feeling out of place. Now that Rogue was helping Kitty he felt more at ease, and he knew she'd be okay. He said goodbye and promised he'd see Kitty tomorrow at lunch.

Rogue led Kitty to their bedroom and put a blanket over her.

"Get some sleep, you'll feel better okay?"

Then she went to find the Professor because a miracle may have just occurred.

--- End of Chapter 5

Poor Kitty! But isn't Todd sweet :) Next chapter: More Evan/Pietro and Jean gets a lecture she'll never forget. Please Review! - Dusa


	6. The Miracle

Author's Note: Okay so there will be 2 more edited chapters (my bad). Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I like X-Men: Evolution. Don't own it, though.

Chapter 6

--- Outside of the library ---

"Can we do that again?" Pietro asked, hungry for the taste of Evan's mouth on his.

Evan's reply was an even more passionate kiss, because this time it wasn't just for show. Evan couldn't believe this was happening. He'd adored Pietro for a long time but had always thought the silver-haired object of his affection was straight and not at all interested in him. He felt a bit of an erection coming on and blushed deeply.

As they ended the kiss, Pietro watched him, smiling.

"What?" Evan asked.

"Just thinking how extremely delicious you look," Pietro said with an innocent look upon his pale face.

Evan laughed, inwardly relishing Pietro's compliment.

"So . . . what does this mean? Are we -- "

"Dating?" finished Pietro, "I would quite hope so."

"Good," replied Evan, "because right now I think I'm suffering from kiss-withdrawal."

Pietro smirked, "I think I can fix that . . ."

A while later, both reluctantly decided it was time to head home. Pietro reached out his hand hesitantly. Evan grabbed it and smiled at his new boyfriend. To him, the day couldn't get any better.

--- Back at the Mansion ---

Rogue rushed immediately to Professor Xavier's office. She didn't bother knocking, for he probably already knew she was coming.

"Prof, I think I just controlled my powers! I touched Kitty and she didn't get hurt or anythin'!"

"This is exciting news, Rogue. Let's find Hank and run some tests, shall we?" the Professor replied rather calmly.

"Alright, sure," Rogue consented.

Hank seemed very happy about the progress Rogue appeared to have made. He again had her touch several plants, to see if they would wither. Rogue, focusing hard, hesitantly placed her gloveless hand on the first one. She gasped as it stayed the same green as before.

"Have I lost my powers, Professor? This is great but I mean, how can I be an X-men without any powers?"

"I believe that if you concentrate, your powers will come back to you when you wish them to. And even if my theory is wrong, we will always have a place for you on our team. You're part of the family, Rogue," Professor Xavier said reassuringly.

Rogue smiled and touched another plant, this time trying to make it wilt. When she saw the blue flower turn brown and limp pathetically, she jumped and squealed with joy

"I can control my power! I truly can!" Rogue exclaimed happily.

She hugged Hank tightly, and then hugged the Professor.

"Thank you so much," she said quietly, and a tear of happiness rolled down her cheek, smearing her pale makeup.

--- Meanwhile, in a distant place, Magneto speaks to his new recruit . . . –

"I'll expect you to be hard-working and loyal. Keep an eye on the members of the Brotherhood . . . and it wouldn't hurt to get to know some of the X- men. You know what they say . . . 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer' . . . So, off you go, Gambit, and make sure to shape up those lousy Brotherhood members," Magneto said coldly.

Gambit smirked as a reply before stepping out of the dark room.

--- Back at the Brotherhood . . . ---

Pietro sat on the couch, in a daze. Pietro had been home for a few hours already, but was still in his little "Evan-dream-world." He didn't notice a bewildered Freddy and a smirking Todd watching him as a small bit of drool dribbled out of his mouth.

Todd finally spoke, waking him out of his trance, "Looks like Pietro finally got some action. Wonder who the lucky girl -- or guy -- is."

"What? A guy? But Pietro isn't gay . . ." Freddy said, confused.

Pietro blushed a bit, and wiped away the drool, "Er . . . what guy? What do you mean? I'm just thinking . . . about . . . school?"

Todd laughed, "Yeah, since when do you ever think 'bout school, yo? Now who is it? It's an X-man isn't it? But which one? It's not Jean or Kitty. And Rogue can't touch anyone . . . hm . . .that means it's probably a male . . . Scott . . . doubtful, and Kurt is goin' with that Amanda chick. So . . . that leaves -- "

"Alright, alright it's Evan!" shouted Pietro.

"I always get 'em," smirked Todd, "Wow, so Evan, huh? Now that you think of it, that dude sho' is fine . . ."

"Hey! He's mine!" cried a fiercely protective Pietro.

"It's alright man, I'm straight anyway," Todd laughed. Freddy, a little disturbed by the whole conversation, left the room to go make a sandwich.

"Anyway, Pietro, did you hear the news? Magneto is sending some new hotshot recruit to monitor us or somethin', yo."

"Hmm, well I just hope he doesn't try to change the way we do things around here."

"Yeah man . . . oh yeah and Lance really has me steamed. Did you hear he is cheatin' on Kitty?"

"Dude, I feel so out of the loop! Okay, fill me in on all this juicy gossip I seem to be missing!" exclaimed Pietro, sounding rather like a valley girl.

"Well . . ." and Todd proceeded to relate the day's events to his eager friend.

--- End of Chapter 6

Woohoo, some new developments in the story . . . the next chapter will be up very shortly. See, I'm getting a lot done today! Sorry this chapter was slightly shorter, but the next one is very satisfying (in my opinion XD) Review! - Dusa


	7. Teaching Jean A Lesson

Author's Note: Another edited chapter, though I left it mostly as is. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot.

Chapter 7

The Professor took his seat at the head of the long table. He looked at all of the X-men and noticed that many seemed to be wrapped up in their own little world - Evan mainly.

"Before you all commence eating, I would like you to congratulate Rogue on her newfound control of her powers," he announced. Everyone smiled and Kurt turned and hugged his half-sister.

Rogue sent a glare in Jean's direction. Scott, who was sitting next to Rogue, leaned over slightly in his seat.

"Why are you glaring at Jean like she just murdered someone?" he whispered.

Rogue shivered at the touch of his breath on her ear. She decided she could trust Scott, and told him all about Jean and Lance. When she finished, she knew that behind his glasses his eyes were glaring at Jean too. She stifled a giggle; if Scott was mad at Jean, the others would all be fuming with rage.

She suddenly had a great idea. She turned to Kurt and whispered about what Jean had done, then motioned for Scott to do the same. Immature, yes, but it got the news around. She couldn't wait until everyone knew, because then life would be hell for Jean.

After dinner was over Rogue cleared her place and watched as the showdown began. First Jean was accosted by some of the newer members of X- men. Jubilee screeched about loyalty and trust while Jamie's multiplied forms shook their index fingers at Jean.

Then Evan, who'd woken up to reality, stepped menacingly forward.

"You know Jean, a lot of the X-men used to look up to you. You are -- or should I say were -- a role model for many of us. You, as one of the older members of the X-men, set an example for others. And you have proved unworthy of such respect. You can no longer consider me a friend. You'll be lucky if half of us even talk to you after this."

Jean sneered, but her mouth seemed to quiver a bit. They were getting to her.

Then Scott said quietly, "I thought I knew you really well. Now I'm very confused and I'm sorry to say that whatever connection we shared . . . is definitely destroyed. You're just not the person I thought you were."

Jean appeared even more shaken up at his comment. She was about to reply, with a scathing remark most likely, when Ororo (Storm) walked into the pristine kitchen.

"Children, please excuse me, I need to have some words with Ms. Gray here," she said in an authoritative voice. The "children" whined and grumbled as they reluctantly left the room. Ororo knew they'd probably be eavesdropping at the door but she continued anyway, "Jean, I've been hearing a lot about a certain act of severe misjudgment on your part. Is it true that you knowingly went out with Kitty's boyfriend?" she said, giving Jean the benefit of the doubt.

Normally, Jean would be respectful to her elders, but she seemed to snap.

"Yeah, maybe it is true! And you know what? It's not any of your FUCKING business! So just leave me the HELL alone!"

Ororo gasped and said through clenched teeth, "Don't you ever speak to me that way again. Now I believe Logan and the Professor wanted to speak with you. And Jean? I will leave you alone. But I can't guarantee that Logan will."

Ororo walked briskly out of the kitchen, quickly counting to ten. It took all her strength to keep her poise and not blow up in Jean's face. No, she would leave that to Logan.

--- A few minutes later . . . ---

Logan pounded the counter next to Jean with his fist.

"You hurt Kitty very deeply. And you knew it, the minute you went out with that good-for-nothing pipsqueak. Who, by the way, I'll be paying a little visit to later," he growled. Jean shrank against the wall. Whatever audacity she had had to swear at Storm, was definitely gone now.

"Look I'm sorry I swore at Ororo . . . but you . . . you don't have any right to tell me what to do!" Jean yelled at Logan. At these words, Logan lost any semblance of composure and his red face turned almost purple with rage.

"I am an adult. And as long as you live in this house, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!" he spit out contemptuously, "And you will RESPECT Storm and the Professor! You are going to be severely punished, if I have anything to do with it. Oh wait, I DO! I'M the one in control of punishment around here! AND DON'T YOU EVER THINK DIFFERENTLY!"

Jean looked at the floor as he went on to ground her for two months and give her extra chores for four months.

"Now, you also have to apologize to some people around here. First Kitty, and then Ororo for your disrespect. Whether you continue your stupid fling with that asshole is up to you but if I catch sight of him anywhere near here, I'll kick his ass and yours," Wolverine said gruffly, for he had an almost fatherly attitude towards Kitty. Almost. (This _is _Wolverine we're talking about here).

He stalked out of the kitchen and practically mauled the eavesdropping X-men (by accident, of course). The Professor entered the room and briefly stated how disappointed he was in Jean's actions. When he was finally finished with his lecture, Jean fled for her room. She locked the door behind her and went over to her private line.

Dialing Lance's number, she flopped on her bed, exhausted from the day's events.

"Hello? Can I speak to Lance please? This is Jean."

Whoever had answered the phone hung up.

--- Meanwhile at the Brotherhood ---

Lance ran his hand through his brown hair. He winced as Todd spit a little slime at him while shouting. It was probably an accident - Todd always spit a little when he got really worked up - but Lance could have sworn he saw a malicious glint in Todd's eye.

"How could you? Geez man, you're so selfish!" Todd shouted angrily. While Todd was rambling on, Pietro glared menacingly at Lance. Fred just sat on the sagging couch, feeling uncomfortable.

The phone rang and Fred slowly answered. Hearing Jean's voice, he hung up. His silent protest of Lance's actions went unnoticed by the other Brotherhood members, which was fine by him. He didn't like big arguments that couldn't really be solved by knocking the other guy out.

As Fred got up to make another sandwich, the doorway exploded. When the smoke cleared, the Brotherhood could see a young man with red eyes standing solemnly. He looked at each of them slowly, as if making a mental assessment.

Finally, Pietro burst out squeakily, "Who the hell are you?"

Smirking, the red-eyed mutant replied, "I'm de one dey call Gambit. But ye can call me Remy. Magneto sent me here to watch over ye. Y'know, keep ye in line."

Lance, forgetting momentarily about Jean and Kitty, resumed his leadership role, "What? I'm the leader around here. We don't need you watching over us."

"Tell dat to Magneto," laughed Remy, "I am not de one makin' de rules . . . well, now I am. But Magneto's de one who told me t' come here."

Lance stomped out of the room, obviously unable to deal with authority. Remy laughed, "That one's a bit full of himself, ain't he?"

"Yeah well we ain't too happy with him anyhow," Todd grumbled.

"What he do?" Remy asked curiously.

"Long story," Pietro replied.

"Remy got time," Remy countered.

--- Back at the Mansion ---

Rogue flopped on her bed happily. All was right with the world again. Well, almost. But she had a feeling Jean and Lance wouldn't be so smug tomorrow.

She leaned over and turned on her CD player. As she drifted off to sleep she thought about how Todd had been looking at Kitty.

"He's in love . . ." Rogue murmured to herself. Kitty, who had just quietly stepped into their room, wondered whom she was talking about. For some reason, her thoughts turned to Todd.

--- End of Chapter 7

This chapter didn't need much editing and it looks like there is another chapter to be posted. Then I'll start writing a new chapter. I had fun writing the scene with Wolverine yelling at Jean, hope you liked it. :) – Dusa


	8. Evan and Pietro

Author's Note: Here's the final revised chapter. Evan reveals his new relationship to one of his best friends and meets Remy. Read and enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I own the plot. That's all.

Chapter 8

-- The next morning ---

Evan rolled slowly out of bed and started pulling on random clothes. He glanced at his clock. 7:45. Evan did a double take. 7:45!

"Shit! I'm late for school!"

He ran out into the hallway, slamming his door behind him. Leaping down the stairs, he bumped into a very pissed off Wolverine.

"Uh . . . hi, Logan! I'll just be leaving now . . ." Evan laughed nervously.

"Where to? It's Saturday and you haven't even had breakfast," Wolverine growled.

"It's Saturday? Dude!"

With that, Evan sped back up the stairs and launched himself onto his bed.

"Nice bed . . . safe from Wolverine . . ." he murmured before falling asleep.

Evan awoke several hours later. Thoughts of Pietro immediately entered his mind. He decided to drop by Pietro's place after breakfast. When he got down to the dining room, only a few X-men remained eating. Kurt nodded to Evan sleepily and Kitty smiled half-heartedly.

"Hi Kitty, you feeling okay?" he carefully asked.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. I just want to know why he did it," Kitty responded.

"Believe me, if there's any reason at all, it's that Lance is an insane jerk. I don't see how anyone would ever cheat on you," Evan said. Kitty laughed bitterly, "And yet someone did cheat on me. I'm gonna miss him . . ."

Kurt sighed heavily, "Kitty, look at it this way. You're single again, and now you can go flirt with whomever you like . . . just don't do it in front of me."

Kitty smiled, "Know what? I'm gonna call Todd. Where's the phone?"

As she ran out of the room, Kurt turned abruptly to Evan.

"Todd?" he exclaimed.

"Don't ask me, man," Evan laughed, "Hey so . . . I'm going to go hang out with Pietro now. . . we are sort of dating."

Evan hoped his furry blue friend wouldn't judge him for being gay. He was surprised when Kurt smiled knowingly and teased, "Have fun with your boyfriiiiend."

"I will," Evan said, pleased that Kurt seemed to accept his sexuality, "And hey Kurt, you'll always be one of my best friends, no matter who I date. You know that right?"

"I know Evan. Believe me I'm happy for you . . . just don't give me too many details about this relationship of yours okay?"

"That's fine by me," smirked Evan, "because what I do with his sexy body is my business."

"Way too much info there," Kurt said, "Great you made me go and lose my appetite, Evan!"

"I do what I can, Kurt," Evan joked before grabbing his skateboard and heading to the Brotherhood's place.

--- At the Brotherhood house . . . ---

Evan heard sounds of crashing coming from the dilapidated house. He stopped his skateboard and flipped the board into his hands. As he started up the steps, a huge book came flying out the window next to him.

"Jeez, bad timing," he muttered to himself. He knocked on the door hoping Pietro would answer. Instead, a rather creepy-looking guy with red eyes stood in the doorway.

"What do ya want?" he asked gruffly.

"Um . . . is Pietro there?"

"He is in his room."

The red-eyed man moved out of Evan's way and Evan hurried past. He looked around him as he went. The place was a mess. He guessed the room with an enormous "P" scratched onto the door was Pietro's. He quickly slipped inside.

Pietro lay sleeping on his bed, a few rays of sunlight shining onto him through the window. Evan thought he looked so . . . innocent. Definitely adorable, anyway. His smile widened when he noticed that Pietro only had a pair of boxers on.

Evan gingerly sat on the edge of Pietro's bed and ran his fingers lightly through the silky silver-white hair. Pietro moaned slightly in his sleep and cuddled up to Evan.

"Morning Pietro," he whispered.

--- Meanwhile, back at the X Mansion ---

Kitty dialed Todd's number.

"Hi, Todd? It's Kitty . . . wanna, like, do something?"

"Sure. Whatcha have in mind?"

"How about going to the park, and just, like, walking around."

"Okay, see ya there, Kit."

Kitty smiled as she hung up the phone and grabbed her denim purse. As she was leaving she saw Rogue sitting on the steps to the mansion.

"Wanna come with Todd and me? We're, like, just hanging out."

"Oh, y'all go on alone. Thanks, though," Rogue answered.

"If you're sure . . ."

"Look, now that I can control my powers, we can go clubbing sometime. But right now I want to see you go off and spend some time with your little crush."

"Crush? Todd? We're just friends!"

"Sure, Kitty. Now go already!"

Rogue watched as Kitty ran down the path to the gates. She looked so much happier, and Rogue was glad. Funny that Todd was the one making Kitty feel better. She sighed and went back into the mansion.

--- End of Chapter 8

So that was the last of the revised chapters. My previous version had 13 very short chapters, while this has 8 longer and hopefully more in depth ones. I'll start working on the next chapter, which should be up within the week. The more reviews I get, the more motivated I'll be. Thanks for reading. - Dusa


	9. A Beautiful Friendship

Author's Note: So . . . not a ton of reviews, though quite a few of you read this all the way through. Not sure if that means this is complete rubbish or a worthwhile read. Nevertheless I will finish this, if only as an exercise in writing. I'm not sure if I should find a beta, mainly because I'm a grammar freak and I always read my chapters 3+ times to check for any inconsistencies. However, feel free to message me if you're interested.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot.

A note to some of my reviewers:

anonymous – Yeah Todd is kind of gross, but in this story I guess he's . . . more charming than usual. As for Jean being such a jerk, this is just my warped view of X-Men. Every story needs some sort of antagonist. However I will keep this in mind and try to show her in a perhaps more favorable light. We shall see:-P

Chapter 9

--- At the mall ---

Kitty and Todd had been shopping for several hours, and now they were laden with several shopping bags, not to mention leftovers from the quick lunch they had grabbed at the food court.

"Are you sure you need the rest of that sandwich from Subway?" Kitty asked, eyeing the plastic bag dubiously.

"Have you seen how much Freddie eats? Believe me, I need it," Todd answered as Kitty steered him towards yet another shop filled with frilly, girly clothes.

Kitty exclaimed with joy as she spotted "totally adorable" pink cami that would "totally match" the "totally fabulous mini skirt with those super-chic ruffles." Todd rolled his eyes, but followed her obediently around the store. After making several more purchases, Kitty placed her bags gingerly on the ground and sank into a nearby bench. Todd dumped his own bags ungraciously and perched on the bench next to her, quite frog-like. However, after catching a few flies off a nearby potted plant, he sat properly next to her.

Kitty turned towards him, her expressive brown eyes filled with tears. Todd's heart leapt into his throat at the sight. She was so beautiful, yet so vulnerable. He reached out a shaky hand to wipe away a solitary tear that had made its way down her pale cheek. She gasped slightly at the touch but remained painfully silent. Not sure what to say, Todd waited several minutes until finally she broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I miss him."

The words hung in the air for several moments, just enough to tear into Todd's heart. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came. He squeaked awkwardly and wrenched his eyes from Kitty's face and stared at his lap.

"Todd. I know how you feel about me."

At these words, Todd's face heated up and he stared at his lap with renewed intensity. Seeing that he was not going to respond, Kitty continued, a slight tremor in her voice.

"I can't do this, Todd. It's . . ." Kitty trailed off for several moments before finishing lamely, "It's too hard."

Words started to spill uncontrollably from Kitty's mouth, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"You're really sweet and I really care about you . . . you have to know I care about you. I mean, spending time with you has been lots of fun and it has helped to, you know, take my mind off . . . him. But it doesn't mean I'm over him. I'm not over him. I'm not over Lance. I . . . still love him."

Kitty broke off suddenly as a sob escaped from her lips. She buried her face in her hands, ashamed to be crying in such a public place.

Todd fought the urge to put a comforting arm around her. Instead, he reached into the Subway bag and retrieved the pile of napkins that had been buried at the bottom. He offered her one slowly and she took it from his gratefully. Todd resumed looking at his lap, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. His heart was heavy, but he began to speak in quiet tones.

"How can you still love him? He's worthless; he cheated on you. You deserve someone who will give you the world. I know that I am not worthy of someone as special as you. But I want you to be happy. Maybe you will never be mine, but you should not want to be with . . . Lance. He doesn't deserve you."

Kitty sniffled a bit before responding, "It's hard to explain, Todd. Yes, he cheated on me, and for that reason I am no longer his girlfriend. But we dated for an entire year, Todd. That's a long time, especially since we are only teenagers. We shared so many special moments together. No matter what I think of him now, those moments will never disappear. I will always love him for those moments. I will eventually move on, I know I will. But you can't just pretend you don't love someone. It's not that easy."

Todd's heart sank one final time.

"So I suppose we won't be hanging out anymore, huh?"

"If you think you're feelings will affect our friendship, then no, we won't. But I enjoy your company, Todd. I'm willing to try being friends, but only if you're comfortable."

Todd turned to look at Kitty's puffy, tear-streaked face. Even with bits of tissue stuck to her wet cheeks, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. He wanted her in his life, even if only as a friend. He wrapped his arms around Kitty and murmured into her hair, "Of course we can be friends. Don't worry about that. I just want you to be happy."

Kitty sighed with relief and returned Todd's hug. After too short a moment, she dropped her arms and went to pick up her bags.

"It's getting late, Todd. I should be getting home now."

Todd nodded silently and gathered his bags together. He darted over to Kitty's side quickly, placing a kiss on her cheek. Then he turned and hopped away, towards the exit. As he pushed open the doors, he looked behind his shoulder at Kitty. She was walking slowly in the opposite direction with her head down.

"I love you," Todd said softly, watching Kitty until she disappeared from sight.

--- End of Chapter 9

Hope you liked this! It's my favorite chapter so far, mainly because I can relate to a lot of it. Ahhh, young love :P I was listening to Demolition Lovers by Chemical Romance while writing this, which definitely inspired me. Great band, hehe. So please review . . . what did you think of this chapter?


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